Open To Interpretation
by Yvi
Summary: In which Marius is less than bright and Courfeyrac is less than helpful. Definitely closer to G than PG, but I'm overcautious and picked the latter.


()() This is based on a translation of the novel in which, after Thenardier and the robbers are arrested at the Gorbeau tenement, Marius shows up at Courfeyrac's room and declares, "I have come here to sleep with you," as opposed to "I've come to stay at you place" or some such thing, which is how the words are usually translated. At any rate, I took a liking to this one. =) ()()

The old black suitcase lay open on the bed and he busied himself by hurriedly placing his few sets of clothing inside. In the next room, separated from his only by a thin wall that was missing a few more chunks of plaster than it had been before, the sound of shuffling footsteps and a low, authoritative voice could be heard. Every now and then, a few words would pass through the wall and reach the distracted young man's ears. 

"...Good evening, Babet...Claquesous...bring forth...gentleman..." 

Marius could make neither head nor tail of these scraps of conversation, nor did he care to. The knowledge that the police had come, the arrests were taking place, and that his Ursula (the Lark?) was safe was quite sufficient. All the same, having robberies going on next door was hardly ideal, not to mention the police questioning that was sure to follow. Shuddering at the thought, Marius began folding another pair of trousers. He was about to set them alongside the others when another, different sound suddenly registered. Next door, there was silence. 

Ears that so had easily dismissed the murmured legal jargon coming from the other room eagerly grasped the sound of a door clicking shut. Hands that had been busily emptying the bureau rested lightly against the wall; eyes that had been glued to the suitcase now peered through the familiar peephole. The cavernlike room was empty. 

Taking advantage of his situation, Marius left the tenement. 

***************** 

There was, he reasoned, a method to his actions. Staying in the Gorbeau flat would only result in even more undesirable circumstances, and besides, it wasn't as though he had nowhere else to go. Courfeyrac had made it clear several times that, should he ever lack adequate lodgings, Marius would be welcome to stay with him. 

As the Rue de la Verrerie became closer, Marius' mind moved on to more pressing matters, one of which involved Courfeyrac's first name. No matter how hard he racked his brain, the only names that came to Marius' mind were Ursula and, occasionally, Lark. The latter frequently succeeded in diverting him from his original train of thought and resulted in him spending several bewildered minutes leaning against a streetlamp, wondering how in the world his former neighbors had managed to confuse poor Ursula with a bird. After a time of contemplating this, Marius would return to his original quest, which proved to be even more frustrating. Infernal students, always calling each other by their surnames; half the time, they seemed to forget they had Christian names to begin with. 

Eventually, having come no closer to remembering his friend's name, and feeling slightly guilty on account, he opted instead to contemplate how to go about explaining the current situation to him. Courfeyrac was always hospitable, but even he might be curious as to the cause of Marius' unexpected appearance at his door. Taking this into consideration, Marius began composing an explanatory speech under his breath. 

"Monsieur Courfeyrac, I would be very much obliged if you would share your quarters with me, as mine are..." He paused. "As mine are currently under the surveillance of the law." 

No, that would never do. It sounded urgent, but in such a way that would almost certainly drive Courfeyrac to curiously ask for more details. 

He tried again. "My lodgings have proven themselves inadequate. Can I stay with you?" 

No, that was no good either; he was rearranging and practically repeating the words Courfeyrac had used before. 

"Courfeyrac, there was an inconveience at my place. Is it all right if I stay here?" No, that sounded too incriminating. 

"I've given my room to someone who needed it more than I did, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me sleep here until I find somewhere else to go." _That_ was downright dishonest. 

"There have been a few annoyances in my area. Is it all right if I stay here?" 

That seemed fairly decent. Suitably vague, not too abstract... 

He was still rehearsing it when the tenement Courfeyrac was staying in became visible. As he mounted the stairs, he suddenly realized he was still unable to recall his friend's first name, and set to work at that particular problem again. 

"What is...no, _not_ Ursula... Michel? No, that's _his_ name. What about...can't be right..._not Ursula_..." 

Somehow, in the midst of his distractions, he must have found time to knock on the door, as it opened and a voice inquired, "Marius?" 

"No, that's _my_ name!" the frustrated lawyer burst out. At that, he spun around and found himself face-to-face with a very confused Courfeyrac. 

"Well," said the latter, after an amused pause. "I should hope so. Hello to you too, by the way." 

The speech Marius had so carefully prepared flew entirely out of his head. "Ah. Hello." 

Smiling, Courfeyrac motioned him inside. "Now that you know your name, is it too much to hope that you know why you're here? I'd hate to invite you in if you're meant to be elsewhere." 

Marius made an effort to return the smile. "Oh, no-- I mean, yes! I do. Know my name, that is. Not meant to be anywhere else, no. Um. How are you?" 

"Well enough," Courfeyrac replied slowly. "And what are you up to?" 

"Oh. Not much. Not really, Troubles at Gorbeau, that's all. You know how it is." 

Courfeyrac's face asserted that he most definitely did not. 

This polite little explanation was getting more distant by the second. Grasping at straws, Marius started over, "Monsieur Courfeyrac, there's been--" 

Courfeyrac laughed. "Why the formalities, Monsieur Pontmercy?" 

Marius shrugged helplessly. 

"Never mind. I apologize. Go on." 

By now the speech had totally dissipated, Desperately, Marius blurted out the first words that came to mind. "I have come here to sleep with you." 

Courfeyrac burst out laughing.


End file.
